Kid Hit by Car, Two Buses Hit in Sun Related Incidents in Twin Falls

TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KLIX) Twin Falls Police and emergency crews responded to three separate accidents this morning where the sun and poor visibility played a part. One incident involved a pedestrian verses car at the intersection of Caswell Ave and Sparks St at around 7:52 a.m. According to Twin Falls Police Traffic Sergeant Ryan Howe, the 11-year-old child had entered the crosswalk on a skateboard when he was hit by a car driven by a woman headed east. Sgt. Howe says the woman claimed the sun had been in her eyes and she didn't see the pedestrian; she was given a citation of failure to yield to a pedestrian in a cross walk. The 11-year-old had minor injuries and parents took him to be checked out by doctors. Meanwhile, police also responded to two accidents involving school buses withing five minutes of each other. At around 7:50 a.m. a school bus without passengers was rear-ended by another vehicle. Sgt. Howe says the driver wasn't able to see the bus's brake lights with the way the sun had been shinning on them. Then at about 7:55 a.m. another bus at the intersection of Wendell St and Falls Ave was hit by a car when the driver didn't see the stop sign because of the sun in her eyes. There were six children on the bus, three claimed to have minor injuries and were check out by paramedics. Sgt. Howe said in a prepared statement, “It is so important that children make eye contact with drivers before they step off the sidewalk to cross a street just to make sure the driver of that vehicle does see them and is stopping for them to cross. Although the crashes we have seen over the past two weeks have not been the fault of the pedestrians, it is better and safer to wait a few extra seconds before crossing than to cross and risk getting hit.” Also, keep the windshield clean, make sure the wipers work and come to a complete stop.